Meet the Expert: Doctor Bio Video Series
Introducing Erik Ekstrom, M.D., a nonoperative spine specialist at Summit Orthopedics. His specialties include physical medicine & rehabilitation, minimally invasive spine therapies, and sports-related injuries.
Meet Erik Ekstrom, M.D.
Dr. Ekstrom’s approach: “I believe in listening to patients and making them feel comfortable. For me, the most gratifying part of the work is finding the problem and fixing it so patients can return to their usual activities.”
Dr. Ekstrom’s education: Dr. Ekstrom studied at Mankato State University in Mankato, Minnesota as an undergraduate student, and after graduating he earned a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology degree at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud. Later he completed his medical degree and residency at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.
Summit Orthopedics offers comprehensive spine expertise
Our back specialists diagnose spine problems and design custom treatment plans built on a conservative, nonsurgical approach. Most patients find relief through treatments including guided injections, specialized physical therapy, biofeedback, exercise, activity modification, and medication. When conservative care does not relieve symptoms, our highly skilled surgeons offer proven, evidence-based surgical options. Together with you, we will determine the right course of action.
Start your journey to a healthy spine. Find your spine expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a spine consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
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Video Transcription
My name is Erik Ekstrom, and I’m one of the interventionists, And I have a background in physical medicine and rehab. And my role here is, again, to do predominantly either injections or work hard in clinic. Maybe one of the unique things that I bring into how I practice is, this doesn’t have to be a negative experience. And I admit I’m kind of a half-glass-full kind of guy, but we can use that in clinic and injections. We can still have fun; we can still enjoy the moment even though we’re dealing with something that might be an issue of pain or of disability. And perhaps in the way I work this, I can get people to track still into a good experience. And I think that’s one of the unique things about how I work. Well, I actually started college as a music major but didn’t want to become a music teacher. So I did get the minor, but I got into dietetics actually. So my background is food and nutrition, and that walked me into the clinical world. But after that, I got a master’s in exercise physiology and considered a research track but always fell back into where I really fit was as a clinician. And so I used that nutrition and exercise background and got into medicine and into medical school. As most of my patients and staff know, usually I try to bike to work. So with that, I can get about a 100-mile base every week. And cycling and being active is so important to me, and I think my patients and, of course, my staff hear about that, too. I get that. Wintertime, I got a wagon, so you’ll find my cross-country skis. I got a couple different pairs in the back seat, and so if I’m not cycling in the wintertime, I’m skiing. And then after that, it’s family time. I have three kids. They’re all active. They’re fun. They’re a hoot. My wife, she’s actually an emergency medicine doc, and so between her and the whole deal, we seem to have a lot of fun. And along with that, I have a huge Swedish family, which I’ve just been blessed with, and so annually, I do trek to Sweden. All I gotta do is show up and eat, which I’m very skilled at. And I have just this wonderful family over there that we’re almost weekly in communication with.